Disposable cartridge cooperating with a platform in a flexible system for handling and/or manipulating fluids

Abstract

The invention is comprised among apparatus and/or devices for manipulating and handling fluids. The invention relates to the integration of these apparatus and/or devices in a system for manipulating and/or handling any type of fluids. Specifically, the invention relates to a disposable cartridge and a platform cooperating with one another in a flexible system for manipulating fluids, as well as a flexible system for manipulating fluids. More particularly, the present invention is intended for culture cells.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention is comprised among apparatus and / or devices for manipulating and handling fluids. The invention relates to the integration of these apparatus and / or devices in a system for manipulating and / or handling any type of fluids.[0002]Specifically, the invention relates to a disposable cartridge and a platform cooperating with one another in a flexible system for manipulating fluids, as well as a flexible system for manipulating fluids. More particularly, the present invention is intended for culturing cells.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]A specific system or equipment is designed today for each fluid handling and / or manipulating process to enable carrying out said process. More particularly, there are different bioreactors or systems today that are intended for processes of culturing or growing cells, each of said bioreactors or systems, as a whole, being specific for the culturing process and the type of cell to be cultured. In other words, the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0070]This system is advantageously interesting from the flexibility viewpoint as it allows performing different processes for handling and / or manipulating fluids by integrating a disposable cartridge with a platform. In other words, depending on the process to be performed, the disposable cartridge required according to the desired process only has to be integrated in or connected to the platform. Furthermore, in some fluid handling processes, the process itself changes, i.e., it has steps which, in order to be carried out, require the system to have special components that were already initially included in the expendable element and must be replaced, or they require incorporating new components to said expendable element, or even to the platform. In this manner, changing the expendable element and redesigning its components or platform components would be enough in order to continue working in a specific process.

[0071]The system is easy to install and use, which advantageously reduces connection failure between the components, where it is only necessary to couple the disposable cartridge to the platform and start the process for handling and / or manipulating fluids.

[0072]In other words, any fluid process required can be controlled and performed with one and the same platform. For example, different types of cells can be cultured without having to design an entire cell culture system or bioreactor for a specific cell culture process. Likewise, by only changing the disposable cartridge which is coupled to the platform for cooperating therewith, any type of cell can be cultured in any fluid dynamic configuration that is desired.

Problems solved by technology

In other words, there is no system that is flexible enough so as to allow culturing different types of cells, and the same occurs for other processes for handling and / or manipulating fluids.

Nevertheless, this practice has the drawback that for each process to be performed, the equipment or system must be designed entirely from scratch.

These bioreactors have the drawback that in order to be able to operate the entire equipment or system, each tube or channel must be placed in its corresponding location and between each valve, in addition to the need to connect each of these valves with the system so that they are controlled by a computer.

Known culturing systems therefore additionally have the drawback of being too manual and complex and being able lead to errors when making the numerous connections between components integrated in the cell culture system.

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